


Late Night Fights And Then Back To Work In The Morning

by IHaveNothingToDo



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fencing, Fights, Flirting, Flirting While Fighting, Friendly Fighting, Gen, Sparring, Wrestling, can be read as gen or shippy, i have no clue what to tag this, idk it started as fencing but idk how to fence so i had them fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 03:28:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14204046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IHaveNothingToDo/pseuds/IHaveNothingToDo
Summary: Adrien has a fencing tournament tomorrow and is staying up late to practice, his dad is going to be there and Adrien's going to do him proud.Ladybug's heard differently, knows Gabriel has other plans, and decides to help.Neither of them thought the night would end with the room torn apart, breathing heavy, sweating, and smiling.





	Late Night Fights And Then Back To Work In The Morning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sai_c](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sai_c/gifts).



> Sai gave me the prompt Ladrien fencing and it got away from and evolved.....into.....whatever this is. She also improptu beta'd for me so shout out for that my love this one is for you.

* * *

 

“Come on kid, it's late just go to bed already.”

 

Adrien shakes his head, wiping sweat from his eyes and falls back into the beginning stance.

 

“I can't Plagg, he said he's going to the competition tomorrow and I can't disappoint him.”

 

The unspoken ‘again’ hangs heavy between them.

 

Plague huffs, floating down onto the bed and burying himself down between the pillows with a scowl.

 

“Fine,” he mutters “if you won't listen to me maybe you'll listen to _her_.”

 

* * *

 

Tikki had long since figured out that Adrien was Chat so when she feels Plagg’s presence in her mind she isn’t too concerned.  

 

All Kwami are connected but she and Plagg are closer than most, yin yang and all that.

 

His grumblings however are concerning. Between the name calling and cussing of Gabriel Agrest Tikki finally coaxes out the real reason Plagg contacted her.

 

‘Adrien is killing himself practicing for a fencing tournament tomorrow that he believes his father was going to be at.’

 

After another long string of swears in several languages that had long since died out from human knowledge Plagg finally spits out that he'd heard Gabriel schedule a new client for the time the fencing competition was and hadn't told Adrien.

 

‘The kid will be crushed when he finds out.’

 

Tikki’s heart goes out to Adrien, that poor boy puts up with so much that he shouldn't have to.

 

‘Bring Ladybug.’ Plagg says firmly and then he’s gone.

 

Tikki glances at Marinette, slumped over her newest sewing project, snoring lightly, the fabric pressing creases into her cheek.

 

“Marinette.” Tikki flies over and pushes against her temple, feeling a little bad for waking her up but knowing that her charge would be upset that Tikki knew about Adrien and _didn't_ wake her.

 

“Marinette you need to transform.”

 

Marinette mumbles sleepily, blinking at Tikki slowly before shooting straight up. “Am I late?!” she yells.

 

Tikki giggles, pressing her paws against Marinette’s lips.

 

“No but it _is_ late.”

 

Marinette relaxes. “Sorry.” she whispers, glancing towards the trapdoor.

 

Tikki smiles, moving back a bit so Marinette can look at her without going cross eyed.

 

“You need to transform Marinette.:

 

“Is there an akuma?”

 

Marinette blinks the sleep from her eyes, raking a hand through her messy hair and pulling it into her signature pigtails.

 

“No akuma, but I got a message from Chat’s kwami.”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Tikki sighs, sitting on the top of Marinette computer monitor. “It’s Adrien.”

 

“Adrien?! Is he ok?!”

 

“Shhh” Tikki looks pointedly toward the trapdoor, reminding Marinette of her sleeping parents downstairs.

 

“Is he alright?” Marinette repeats at a softer volume, her face apologetic.

 

“Transform and I’ll tell you on the way.”

 

* * *

 

Marinette calls her transformation and sighs as the magic washes over her, Tikki taking up space in her head, a comforting presence.

 

As Marinette climbs out through the skylight, careful to keep quiet, Tikki speaks.

 

Well

 

Sort of speaks.

 

Having a Kwami in your head is kind of weird in Marinette’s opinion. Tikki doesn't so much speak as think.

 

It's kind of like having a fake conversation in your head but instead of you coming up with possible answers that the other person would have Tikki _actually answers._

 

It's weird.

 

Marinette takes a deep breath of the night air, the rush of being transformed easing into worry for Adrien.

 

“I'm glad Chat asked me to help but how did he know?”

 

Tikki shifts in her mind, a kind of sheepish shuffle of feet…..if Tikki had feet…..

 

‘Focus Marinette’

 

She grumbles at Tikki’s exasperated tone and lets her kwami guide her body past the weathervane Marinette would have crashed into if Tikki hadnt intervened.

 

Has anyone mentioned having a miraculous is weird? Because it is.

 

‘I can't tell you why Chat knows what he knows.’

 

"Identities?"

 

She asks out loud, because it was easier than trying to differentiate which thoughts were Tikki's and which were her own when she doesn't have to.

 

'Yes' Tikki sighs.

 

"Ok, I'm going to assume that Chat isn’t a stalker and just ask what’s wrong with Adrien?"

 

Marinette throws her yoyo, taking the long way to Adrien's house across the city, a quick patrol while she's on the way won’t hurt.

 

'His father lied to him'

 

Tikki says it bluntly, and Marinette stumbles into a chimney, leaning against it in surprise.

 

"What?"

 

Marinette slides down the length of the chimney as Tikki explains, with a lot of censoring and stumbling over what was obviously supposed to be a name, what Chat's Kwami told her.

 

Shaking with both equal parts rage and sympathy Marinette stands, cutting her yoyo back towards the way she came. Screw patrolling, Adrien needs someone and right now that someone is her.

 

‘As soon as you actually get there’ Tikki pipes up helpfully.

 

Marinette ignores her, lost in her rage, all of it directed at one Gabriel. Agrest.

 

"I can't believe someone would do that to their own kid!"

 

Marinette says it out loud not really expecting a response but Tikki huffs and Marinette suddenly thinks of a Ladybug suit stained with tears and the feeling of failure.

 

She jerks out of the memory that isn't hers as Adrien's house comes into view.

 

Wiping her own eyes, Marinette merges with Tikki in their shared headspace, drawing on her centuries of knowledge and strategy to help her help Adrien.

 

A pink light blinds her temporarily as the mask falls in place, something Marinette didn't even realize was missing.

 

'Good thing no on saw me' she thinks dryly and hears Tikki laugh though no else hears it.

 

Not that anyone is around too.

 

She can see Adrien in his room, no this isn't stalking Tikki shut up you brought me here don't bring Chat into this!!

 

He's swinging something around and Tikki recognizes it from a past wielder and Marinette recognizes it from her one time fencing class.

 

Ladybug realizes he's practicing.

 

Throwing her yoyo Ladybug lets it plink off the glass and smiles a bit when Adrien jumps. No matter how many times she comes by he's always surprised.

 

She sees the window open and waves before swinging in and landing softly in front of him.

 

"Hiya"

 

Adrien blinks at her and then jumps back "LADYBUG!"

 

Ladybug laughs "That's my name yes."

 

"Is everything ok?! Are you hurt?" He drops his practice foil and hovers just out of arm's reach, looking for any signs on injury.

 

Ladybug holds up her hands placating him.

 

"Adrien I'm fine."

 

He stops, dropping his hands and just looks at her, “ok."

 

They both stand in silence, cheeks getting increasingly red.

 

Ladybug looks at Adrien out of the corner of her eye. His shoulders are tense and he’s absolutely _drenched_ in sweat, his practice foil point down next to his foot.

 

"Is there something you needed?" Adrien finally asks.

 

Ladybug glances around the room looking for a good excuse. It’s kind of hard to explain the whole ‘Chat keeps tabs on you and his kwami keeps in contact with mine who woke me up to come keep you from practicing yourself to death and-

 

Marinette feels Tikki take control for a split second and uses that second to take a deep breath.

 

"I heard about the fencing competition tomorrow-” she wanders over to the display of trophies smiling softly at the dramatic poses. “-are you entering?”

 

“Uh yeah-” Ladybug doesn't even have to look to knows he’s rubbing the back of his neck. “-I was practicing before you showed up.”

 

‘duh’ Tikki thinks and Marinette mentally shoves her.

 

“Really? But you’re already so good!” the words are out of her mouth before she can even think about it and Tikki laughs at her, a ‘that’s what you get’ gesture only they can hear.

 

Ladybug whirls around, eyes wide, only to meet her own surprise mirrored in Adrien’s eyes.

 

“You’ve seen me fence?”  

 

“Uhh, yeah?” Ladybug scuffs her foot against the floor and pointedly ignores Tikki’s continuous  laughing at her.

 

“Wht? Who? How?”

 

“I…..kinda know you as a civilian?” She shrugs her shoulders and Tikki abruptly cuts off laughter and warns her to not look up at him through her bangs. ‘He’s seen Marinette do that’ Tikki hisses.

 

Ladybug smiles instead, though it’s forced, and raises her head.

 

Adrien’s mind is going a million miles an hour, she can tell by the way his eyes are slightly unfocused and his mouth hangs open.

 

“SO!” Ladybug says loudly, then flinches because it is _well_ after when Adrien should be in bed and she doesn't want to get him in trouble.

 

“What’s so special about this one that you have to practice all night?”

 

Adrien comes back from his calculations slowly, something Marinette has seen dozens of times at school, but it’s unnerving now, knowing that he’s trying to put together how he knows her. He looks a little confused.

 

“The fencing tournament I mean.”

 

“Oh, uh….. My dad will be there.”

 

Adrien flushes red, noticing for the first time how close they’ve gotten. He’d followed her to the trophy case and when she’d turned just now it put them nearly chest to chest. He can see she’s still shorter than he is, even without the extra few inches Chat’s boots give him.

 

“Really? He doesn't go to your other ones?” Something dark flashes across Ladybug’s face and she takes half a step back, not quite scowling but not happy either.

 

“No.” Adrien says quietly. “He’s never gone to any of my…….anything.”

 

Ladybug’s hands curl into fists and her knuckles pop at the force of it.

 

“It’s ok though!” Adrien hurries, “He’s coming to this one so.”

 

Ladybug’s hands don’t relax, if anything they tighten.

 

“So how do I know you?” Adrien scrambles for a different topic to talk about.

 

“She took a fencing class once!” the voice that comes out of Ladybug’s mouth is _not_ Ladybug’s.

 

Ladybug frowns muttering to herself and clicking her fingers.

 

“ _I -”_ she says with emphasis scowling a little. “ _I_ took a fencing class with you once.”

 

“What was that?!”  Adrien squeaks, eyes wide. He steps back slowly, wondering if this is an akuma who’s surprisingly good at imitating his Lady’s mannerisms.

 

“Ugh-” Ladybug sighs, dropping her shoulders “-It was my kwami, the thing that helps me transform, she’s…..in my head? I guess that’s how you explain it. I don't know, she kinda takes over if I'm spacing out while transformed, real helpful in battle but she’s never done it like this…..”

 

The rush of rambly information trails off and Ladybug’s eyes unfocus, her fingers taking back up their clicking.

 

Adrien risks a glance at his bed, where he knows Plagg is hiding. The cat kwami doesn't appear to explain this new information further.

 

“ANYWAYS!” Ladybug faces Adrien again, smiling. “I know you as a civilian because of fencing class.”

 

“Do...Do you fence?” Adrien stutters, mind still trying to process the fact that Ladybug’s kwami can _take over her body._

 

“Nah, didn't really understand how it all worked. Besides I'm more of a long distance fighter.”

 

She smiles at the end like it’s a joke but Adrien knows she’s been up close and personally with more than one Akuma.

 

“Wanna bet?”

 

Ladybug blinks at him, “Excuse me?”

 

“You wanna bet? I've seen you in action, long distance fighter my foot.”

 

Maybe the weirdness of Ladybug’s kwami is wearing off on him, maybe it’s the late hours finally catching up. Whatever it is Adrien doesn't want this new confidence to stop.

 

“Is that a challenge Agrest?”

 

Adrien nods, scooping his practice sword from its place off the floor when he dropped it in surprise and falls into position.

 

“Lucky charm.” Ladybug says it with less flair than she does during fights but it works the same.

 

A polka dotted fencing foil falls neatly into her outstretched hand. She mirrors his position, the sword awkward in her hands. “This is unfair, you haven't even taught me how to play.”

 

Adrien raises his eyebrows, unimpressed. “You have a thousand year old god in your head. I think you can figure it out.”

 

Ladybug’s eyes widen and she shifts her footing, a pale ring around her iris glowing pink.

 

“Confident are we?”

 

“Look in the mirror.”

 

Ladybug circles him slowly, grinning. “I don't know where this Adrien came from but I like him.”

 

Adrien’s steps falter, “You like me?”

 

Ladybug lashes out, whapping him on the arm hard enough to make him yelp.

 

“Cheater.” he mutters, frowning at her.

 

“Not my fault you’re distracted by a pretty face.”

 

“Anyone who looks at you is distracted, you’re gorgeous.” The compliment rolls of his tongue with the ease of Chat and it’s Ladybug’s turn to stumble.

 

She dances out of reach of his foil by just a hairsbreadth, eyes wide.

 

“I didn't take you for a flirt Mr. Agrest.”

 

Adrien snorts and dashes forward, his foil flying quicker than even he can see, “Please, have you picked up a magazine lately?”

 

Ladybug blocks each strike, but just barely.

 

They fall back, circling again.

 

“Ahh yes. I have such a soft spot for tabloids that are just straight up _slander_.”

 

She darts forward, using the foil to distract him and driving her shoulder into his gut.

 

Adrien falls to the floor, air knocked out of him.

 

Ladybug jumps over him and than reaches to help him up, “Sorry! I forg-”

 

He grabs her hand and jerks her down with him, rolling out of the way of her falling foil.

 

“Rude!” she cries out, landing hard next to him.

 

They roll around for a while, each trying to pin the other down, no breath to spare for any more banter.

 

“Ha!” Adrien slams his knees against Ladybug’s shoulders and sits on her chest, pinning her.

 

Ladybug smirks up at him, unperturbed by their position, “you do the same thing Chat does.”

 

That’s all the warning he gets before she throws her legs up and rolls them both backwards in a quazi summersault.

 

Adrien lands solidly on his back, wheezing slightly (Sparring with her was so much less painful when he was in the suit with Plagg)

 

“Does this mean I win?”

 

Adrien struggles, but she’s got him in a solid lock, forearms pinning his shoulders, her feet hooked around his thighs, using her own body weight like a heavy blanket to keep him in place.

 

The best he can do is kick his feet and bounce his head off the floor.

 

Pouting a little Adrien looks up at her, blue eyes ringed with just a tiny bit of pink, breathing hard and smiling harder.

 

He wills his hips to stay down.

 

“I think I can disqualify you on about 12 different accounts.”

 

“Like what?” she pops the t, perfectly smug.

 

Adrien looks at her unimpressed, “You tackled me.”

 

Ladybug laughs brightly, grinning down at him one last time before throwing her weight sideways and flopping down beside him.

 

“Fine fine, I’ll give it to you. But only because I like you.”

 

Adrien smiles at the words, a blush heating his cheeks.

 

They lay there for a while, both catching their breath and staring at the ceiling, watching the shadows float along, negative images of the clouds outside.

 

“What would you do if I came tomorrow?”

 

Ladybug rolls over on her side, eyes trained on the side of his face.

 

“To the tournament?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“How would you even pull that off?” Adrien glosses over the bundle of emotions that flare in his chest at the thought of Ladybug watching him, supporting him.

 

“Don't worry about that,” she flaps a hand like the entire world _wouldn't_ explode if a superhero went strolling around like a tourist, “I want to know what you’d do.”

 

Adrien sighs, “honestly?”

 

Ladybug nods, “always.”

 

“I’d probably look for you too much in the crowd, get distracted.”

 

“....Oh.”

 

Ladybug traces nonsense patterns into the carpet and Adrien sneaks a glance at the clock on his desk from the corner of his eye.

 

4:23am.

 

“It’s late-”

 

“What if I went as a civilian?” Ladybug rushes over him, eyes bright and curious.

 

“Do you really want to go that bad?”

 

Adrien blames his bluntness on the time. Even with patrols, it’s been a while since he’s stayed up this late.

 

“I just-” a small flash of pink flares between them, dim enough that Adrien wouldn't have noticed it if they weren’t this close.

 

“I'm fairly confident that we didn't fence just now.” There’s a smile between her words and Adrien smiles along, his heart picking up speed as he remembers the adrenaline rush of sparring like that.

 

“- and I'm curious to see what an actual match looks like.”

 

“Didn't you take a fencing class?”

 

Ladybug huffs a laugh, rolling back over onto her back, “It kinda got interrupted.”

 

Adrien is about to ask why when he remembers Kagami.

 

“You were there the day D'Argencourt was going to take on another student.” Internally he curses, there were so many new faces that day it’ll be impossible to figure out her civilian identity.

 

“Yep. Made it easy to find Riposte, but kinda hard to _actually_ learn.”

 

She sits up, and glances around the room, cringing a little. “Yeesh we made a mess.”

 

Adrien chuckles and sits up too, surveying the carnage. The couch is shoved a good two feet, maybe three, sideways and his side twinges remembering when he slammed into it.

 

The coffee table in front of it is flipped completely over, magazines everywhere. An end table is missing a leg, his bed covers are half pulled off the bed though he doesn't remember even getting _near_ the bed. A pillow lays between his desk and bed. His computer keyboard has been shoved sideways, the mouse dangling off the edge of his desk by it’s cord.

 

The soft carpet is splayed in different directions, much like when you drag your hand down a fuzzy blanket and leave a trail, and if he concentrates he can almost see indentations of their bodies pressed into the material from when they landed hard.

 

“Sorry.” Ladybug stands, and pulls her foil from the bookcase, an old manga speared on the tip.

 

“Miraculous Ladybug!” she throws the sword into the air and Adrien sighs as a pink light rushes over him, pulling all his aches and pains away with it.

 

When he opens his eyes again, the room is still in disarray. But the manga is unspeared in Ladybug’s hand, the end table has four legs again, and the carpet looks like it's just been vacuumed.

 

Ladybug swears, glances at Adrien and smiles sheepishly. “My kwami is kind of petty….”

 

That startles a laugh out of him, and he dissolves into hysterics at the thought of Ladybug’s kwami being as much as a pest as Plagg is, if not more.

 

Ladybug cringes, setting the manga on the bookcase carefully and stepping away. ‘Really Tikki?’ she thinks.

 

Tikki doesn't say anything but Ladybug can feel the petty smugness radiating from her.

 

Her earrings beep a five minute warning.

 

Grumbling to herself, and ignoring Adrien still rolling in laughter on the floor, she glances at the deep grooves in the carpet from furniture feet and shoves the couch back to where it was. She takes care to settle it back into the grooves, and absentmindedly flips the coffee table back over as well. She tosses a pillow back onto the couch and has spread the magazines back across the table the way she vaguely recalls them being when she got here. Bite me Tikki I wasn't too concerned with the coffee table then and this is your fault so you don't get a vote about how I clea-

 

“Ladybug!” Adrien snaps his fingers in front of her nose and she blinks at him.

 

“Kwami?” he asks

 

Her earrings chirp another warning in reply.

 

4 minutes.

 

“Go, I can clean up.” he still looks mightly amused and Ladybug huff in his face.

 

“No that’s rude. My parents raised me better than to come over unannounced and leave a big mess behind.”

 

She slams the end table down with a little more force than necessary to emphasise her point.

 

Adrien hold up his hands in surrender, smiling. “Ok fine, but I have to help.”

 

Before she can even start to protest or question how easily he just gave in, Adrien walks back over to the bed and straightens the top most cover, apparently not seeing the sheets still noticeably on the floor.

 

“You missed a spot.” Ladybug looks pointedly at the heap of fabric on the other side of the bed and Adrien snorts.

 

“If we’re counting spots I think you count as cheating.” but he rounds the bed and stuffs the sheets underneath the comforter, out of sight.

 

In response to her questioning look, he shrugs, “I'm going to mess it up when I go to bed anyways.”

 

They work in a silence that’s only punctuated by Ladybug’s earrings chirping twice.

 

2 minutes.

 

“Are you going to have enough time to get back home?” Adrien asks after the second beep.

 

Ladybug shrugs, “A walk will do me good.” Adrien doesn't look like he believes her, but also doesn't argue.

 

They finish in the next half a minute, both of them stalling more than actually cleaning.

 

When her earrings chirp a third time Ladybug sighs. “Now I’ve _got_ to go.”

 

Adrien follows her to the window, and smiles. “Thanks for tonight.”

 

“You’re thanking me for bouncing you off furniture and destroying your room?”

 

Adrien laughs and Ladybug relishes the sound. “No, thank you for stopping by. I...I needed it.”

 

Ladybug throws her yoyo but doesn't retract it. “Well if you ever need me to throw you around some more let me know! Been a while since I had a good spar.”

 

“You don't spar with Chat?” Adrien doesn't know why he asks. She does spar with Chat but….

 

“I do but...nothing like that.” She tilts her head towards his room, though it looks the same as when she got here hours earlier.

 

“Glad I could help.”

 

“Me too.”

 

They stand in silence again until the earrings beep shrilly twice in a row. Less than a minute.

 

Would Adrien knowing her identity really be so bad?

 

‘YES’ Tikki yells and Ladybug rolls her eyes.

 

“Kwamis these days I swear.”

 

Adrien giggles again, pressing a hand against his mouth to keep it from spilling into full bodied laughter.

 

“Goodnight Adrien. And good luck tomorrow.”

 

A quick twist of her wrist pulls Ladybug out the window and Adrien smiles after her.

 

“With you wishing me luck how can I lose?”


End file.
